For the last several months, St. Paul’s Church has been studying “Love is the Way — Holding on to Hope in Troubling Times” by Michael Curry, the presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. The book is all about the way and power of love as set forth in the good news of God as lived and taught by Jesus of Nazareth, often referred to as “the Gospel.”

Curry entitles chapter 11 as “The Still More Excellent Way,” referencing 1Corinthians 12:31. He begins the chapter with the question, “Does love mean avoiding politics?”

When I rejoined the group of contributors to this column, I was informed that I was not to write anything about “politics” but to confine myself to “the Gospel.” I suspect that a possible reason for the warning was the often-expressed negative feelings about “politics” in much of our daily discourse.

But what is politics, really? One way of understanding politics is how people figure out how to live together in a reasonable and hopefully peaceful manner. In an effort to expand our thinking about the idea of politics, Curry offers this quote from Vaclav Havel, “Let us teach ourselves and others that politics can be not only the art of the possible, especially if this means the art of speculations, calculation, intrigue secret deals and pragmatic maneuvering, but that it can even be the art of the impossible, namely the art of improving ourselves and the world.”

If politics can be the “art of the impossible” and lead to the improvement of ourselves and the world, it begins to sound as if “politics” and “the Gospel” just might have some things in common.

Politics, or political processes are the means, the systems, or the mechanics of the work of developing the ways we decide to live together by sharing resources and values. The Gospel, love, can provide an overarching approach to developing a communal life characterized by compassion, generosity, kindness, justice, inclusion, forgiveness and joy.

Is that not how we would like to live together? Thus, politics and the Gospel are far from incompatible as both seek a similar outcome.

We are at the beginning of a serious period of seeking information and decision making in our public life. During this times there are typically strong expressions of opinion, frustration over contentious issues, clashes of personalities with a high potential for misunderstanding.

How we choose to deal with these realities will say much about us. At times, we can be tempted to lash out at our opponents and those with whom we disagree. We also may become disillusioned and simply shut down and walk away. But those responses are easy.

Rather, as we participate in the various activities of political discourse and action, we have the choice to bring the Gospel-way of love into the context, not as doctrine or dogma, but as disciplined and empowered behavior.

When we are engaged with those that differ from us in their views, love gives us the courage and power to listen, to open ourselves to another’s experience and point of view, to discover if we might be blessed with learning something new from a different perspective.

I hope I have not violated the “Crosstalk mandate!” Yes, we all know that, at times, politics can be unpleasant and divisive, as acknowledged by Mr. Havel in his quote. But it need not be that way. There is a “more excellent way.” It is the way of love. Let us bring that way to our political lives.