By now, the sermon has been heard around the world. It is possibly the most listened-to sermon of the century, thus far. Mostly on YouTube and assorted sites. When we go to seminary, do we not dream of hitting that one home run, clear out of the park?
The last time a pastor stared down a President like this was when LBJ made the choice to worship at Riverside Church in NYC during the Vietnam War and Henry Sloane Coffin pounced on the moment. But Bishop Mariann Budde’s tone was entirely different. And with it, she set the tone for the Christian resistance to the sadistic horrors unfolding. The over-reach in the next four years could easily happen around sheer cruelty. The cruelty of separating kids and parents, of sending our Afghan friends back to die at the hands of the Taliban, etc. But also the cruelty of cutting medicaid in order to fund tax cuts to multi-billionaires.
The church has played a part both in the creation of the mess we are in, and in the creation of the moral backbone that runs from coast to coast in the USA - people know wrong when they see it - especially cruelty, bullying. Americans as a whole do not have a taste for this.
Now - here is what is about to happen. A lot of good people are developing a taste for sadism. They are Nazifying right before our eyes. This is not good, but it will never be a majority.
Our role is to stand for the fruits of the spirit, and to follow Bishop Mariann’s lead.
Many people will gravitate toward that fire, because it is about to get very cold, morally speaking, in parts of America.
Bishop Budde reminded the world that there are other kinds of Christians than the charlatans that buzz around Trump like flies, people who actually wrestle with the ethics of Jesus.
BE. THAT. CHURCH.
It is the greatest thing we can do for the world in this hour. When this hour has past, and much of the church’s credibility is trashed for generations, your church’s credibility can be alive and well because you were faithful.
Do not look away. Do not break into a tirade. Evil shall not own you. Just speak. Speak for love. Speak for beloved community. And act when you must, as you must. Be not afraid. This season will pass. Even if they jail you - unlikely - but in this administration all bets are off…. Even if they jail you, your life will become an even more compelling story, and a sermon to remember.
And this season will surely pass: you will not likely die in jail. The bones of the American experiment will all be lying around in 2029, ready and available to us as we build something better than ever in the decades to come.
Grace upon all the churches of the United States in these dark days
Thanks, Paul, for your reminder to be the church. We have to remember who we are and whose we are, in these frightening times.
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