Dear siblings in Christ,
In my sermon this past Sunday, I tried to speak a word of comfort and hope in the midst of the sadness, anxiety, and anger so many of us rightly feel in this moment. The election last week revealed that our nation still runs on weaponized fear that scapegoats the must vulnerable among us, but the good news is that, among us and through us, God is still present and at work in this world to frustrate the ways of the wicked and sustain those trampled by oppressive power.
I urged us to respond to this good news in three ways:
1) Let’s continue to care for each other in our pain.
It’s okay to be angry and sad and afraid right now. Don’t let anyone tell you you’re overreacting or taking “politics” too seriously. There will be very real-world consequences at stake for vulnerable people in the coming months, which should upset us as followers of Jesus.
A lot of this work happened in our Table Groups this past week. If you’re not yet connected to a Table Group, reach out and we’ll connect you with the information you need to participate.
2) Let’s keep telling the truth about oppressive systems.
Just like the costs of the Temple system were devouring the resources of the poor in Jesus’s day, there are many political and religious systems today that prey upon those Jesus calls us to protect. Christian nationalism is one such ideology that energizes many in our country who share our faith. Part of our task as followers of Jesus is to tell the truth about these kinds of systems, and bear whatever consequences may come our way as a result.
I know that many of you are doing this brave work within your spheres of influence, and I encourage you to continue to speak up, especially when the name of Jesus is invoked to justify the oppression and exploitation of vulnerable people.
3) Let’s learn to organize ourselves in solidarity with the marginalized.
While we as a church have some experience with caring for each other and using our voices to speak out about injustice, we don’t have much experience at all with organizing in solidarity with the marginalized. But I’m convicted that it is part of how we embody the new humanity Jesus reveals and invites us to participate in, so we need to learn if we’re going to, in cooperation with the Spirit of God, create a new political economy from the grassroots built on mutual care and cooperation for the flourishing of everyone.
Contrary to the lies of Mammon and white supremacy, our actual solidarity is already with the poor. If you have to work for a living, you’re in the same boat with 99% of the population, including vulnerable people who have been scapegoated and marginalized in our country. We must recognize the basic fact of our solidarity with the marginalized and learn to organize our lives accordingly, creating spaces where we can share our lives and our resources with each other, where we can laugh and cry and be human together, where we can become sources of comfort and joy for one another, where we can encounter God and each other in life-giving relationships, worshiping and praying and singing and acting together. Solidarity gets built over time as we show up for one another and participate in our common life together.
We already express aspects of this kind of solidarity in our gatherings for Holy Eucharist, and in our Table Groups and DNA Groups, but we need to learn how to build more concrete solidarity with one another and our neighbors in the months to come, so we can resist whatever expressions of authoritarianism arise, and create and sustain the kind of change we want to see in the world.
As your priests, Fr. Matt, Fr. Spencer, and I are committed to learn from experts in nonviolent resistance movements (here’s an excellent list of resources, for example), and cultivate conversations where we can discern what organizing for solidarity might look like for us as a community.
I leave you with a prayer I adapted from Nadia Bolz-Weber that I hope will be helpful for you this week.
God of justice,
There’s so much happening and so much that might happen that feels heavy and scary right now, and all of it feels urgent and important for me to pay attention to.
So please help me focus on what is actually mine to do. Then grant me the strength to do it, and the humility to rest, knowing it is enough.
Also help me to remember that even if there is more to worry about in life right now, there is also plenty to love. Protect our joy in each other and in the beauty of your world, Lord.
Oh, and please help me stop doomscrolling on the Internet. I think that might help. Amen.
Beloved saints of God: take courage; trust grace; stay connected; practice love.
Yours in Christ,
Fr. Ben
