January 27, 2025
Beloveds of Spirit of Life, Grace, mercy and peace to you from God the Creator, Amen. I write to you to address the controversy over the worship service that was held on Tuesday, January 21, 2025, to mark the inauguration of President Donald Trump. No doubt you have heard at least a little bit about a sermon preached by Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde, of the Episcopal Diocese of Washington DC. If you can, I encourage you to watch the entire sermon here. Or the entire service: here. . Or read the bulletin for this service here. Better yet, do all three. Why am I asking this? Because one or two sentences in a meme or sound bite cannot encompass the meaning of an entire sermon, or an entire worship service. And it’s important to understand the context of anyone’s words. If you view the entire service, you will hear prayers for a breadth of people, including the new administration. You will hear American anthems. You will see a diversity of religious leaders. The service embodied the complexity and beauty of America. In the sermon, Bishop Budde preached from Matthew 7 in which Jesus compares a house built on sand to a house built on rock. When a storm came, Jesus says, the house on sand fell; the house on rock stood solid. In the sermon, Bishop Budde recalled the solid values upon which America was founded, and the diversity of its people. In the sermon, we heard calls for unity and were reminded that no one is perfect, nor is any country. We all need humility. President Trump was reminded that millions of people have put their trust in him, and he was asked to have mercy on oppressed and frightened people. He was invited to consider thoughtfully the actions he will take as the most powerful man in the world, especially when they affect powerless people. He was challenged by the gospel of Jesus Christ. It appeared that it was hard for him to hear these words. After the service, via his social media account, he criticized Bishop Budde and demanded an apology. It was painful to watch the reactions and misinformation and division that erupted over the week. It made me think and pray. Because I pray for President Trump. I have prayed for President Trump since 2016. I was living in rural Iowa at the time, where streams of politicians poured into the state to convince voters to support them in the state’s “first in the nation” caucus. It was clear to me early on that then-Candidate Trump would be the Republican nominee. I prayed then because I was afraid and confused and angry. And I realized as I prayed to express my big feelings, I was called by God to pray FOR Donald Trump. And then, I really had to pray about that. Why God? Why are you bringing this to me in this time of prayer? Because I just want to feel cynical and worried. And I want you, God, to do something about this. (For the record, prayer can be a pain in the rear.) I pray for President Trump because 1. All God’s children need prayer 2. All leaders entrusted with great power need prayer 3. To me, President Trump seems broken and fearful, and I want healing for him, and 4. Because I find President Trump’s actions and words offensive, and Jesus compels me to love those I perceive to be my enemies (Luke 6:27; Matthew 5:44). Loving someone I find unlovable is an opportunity for prayer. For what do I pray? I pray first and foremost to stop the danger and violence that is being enacted on vulnerable people right now: people who are LGBTQIA+; people who are undocumented; people living on the margins. I pray for safety and mercy and justice to stop these inhumane actions. I pray that the brokenness in President Trump be mended, that his fears and pain, which I believe come out sideways as cruelty and arrogance, be met with God’s love and mercy. I pray that he grows in self-compassion and empathy. I pray that his heart grows soft. I pray that he looks at the cross of Christ and finds God’s message that power is found in weakness and sacrifice. I pray that the people around him open their eyes and their hearts to be more thoughtful. I pray that he recognizes that he is in need - as we all are - of repentance. That we all need a Savior. I pray that the people who are inspired by him to act with violence and hate put down their weapons. And I pray that God continues to work on me, softening my heart and helping me to see him through the eyes of Jesus. Let’s recall the story in Mark 10, about the rich young man who comes to Jesus. “Good Teacher, (the rich, young man asked) what must I do to inherit eternal life?” 18 Jesus said to him, “Why do you call me good? No one is good but God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not defraud. Honor your father and mother.’ ” 20 He said to him, “Teacher, I have kept all these since my youth.” 21 Jesus, looking at him, loved him and said, “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Jesus, looking at him, loved him. Jesus saw into this man’s heart and loved him. Loved. Him. This interaction is all the more powerful because throughout the gospels, Jesus criticizes people with great material wealth, calls out powerful people who oppress the poor and attacks religious leaders who fail to care for orphans and widows. (For example, check out the story of Jesus cleansing the Temple that appears in all four gospels: Matthew 21, Mark 11, Luke 19; John 2.) Jesus names the problems associated with wealth and power and invites people - as he did the rich, young man of Mark 10 - to transformation. Note the second part of Mark 10, verse 21, Jesus says: “You lack one thing; go, sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.” Jesus does this lovingly, because Jesus did not come to dwell with us to leave us where we are. Jesus comes because the reign of God envisions better life for all people. Jesus comes because the values of the reign of God are abundance and health and joy and safety and mercy and justice and unity and wholeness for all people. Jesus comes not to rescue us from this world, but to demand that this world be better. That I be better. That you be better. That our lives reflect these values. Jesus comes to demand that the values of the reign of God prevail because he looks at us, knows us, and loves us. Loves me. Loves you. Loves President Trump. Do you feel the tension? (If you don’t, not to worry, I am feeling enough tension for all of us.) This is the tension of being a Christian in 21st Century America. We are called to, and can and should, love people, and as a result, we can’t leave them where they are. We can’t remain ourselves where we are. When the rich young man in Mark 10 hears Jesus’ words about selling what he owns and giving the money to the poor, the gospel writer tells us this in Verse 22: "When (the young man) heard this, he was shocked and went away grieving, for he had many possessions." He went away grieving. Jesus’ words were tough for this young man to hear. They called into question his values and the life he had built. Did the young man go away to do what Jesus invited him to do? Or did he walk away from Jesus to return to his old life? We don’t know. What we do know is that this story invites us to think about our own lives, our own priorities, the idols we’ve built, and the loving way in which Jesus constantly calls us repent and reform and transform. President Donald Trump walked away from the National Cathedral last Tuesday doing his own kind of grieving. It came out sideways in name-calling, cruelty and anger. It inspired others in power to lash out, too. In the past this type of behavior has made me feel sick. (Yes, this is also while I have been praying for him. Did I mention tension?) I turned to Martin Luther’s teaching of the 8th commandment about not bearing false witness against our neighbor. Luther taught that not only should we not bear false witness (lie) about other people, but that we should put their intentions and actions in the best possible light. For me, this has meant trying to look beyond President Trump’s angry words and quick reactions, to glimpse the pain and fear and hurt below the surface. To see him through the eyes of Jesus. And so, I pray for President Trump. I pray that God continues to work on him, inviting him, transforming him, softening him. I pray that God continues to work on me, opening my eyes, softening my heart, inviting me to defend and help people in harm’s way. I pray that we all live out the values of the reign of God and in those actions, find the unity that we so badly need in this moment. Grace and peace to you, Pastor Marietta
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