Dear Brothers and Sisters,
Last night, as I was preparing for this morning’s service, a bulletin came through that Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate, had been shot in the ear at a rally in western Pennsylvania. This is being treated as an assasination attempt. It appears that he will be OK, but another bystander was killed, and several more critically injured. Make no mistake: there is NEVER a reason for this sort of violence in our democracy, no matter your political persuasion. Keep Mr. Trump, those who were killed and injured, and the shooter, who was also killed, in your prayers. And pray fervently for our nation that this will not lead to further violence and division.
Early this morning, Fr. Jon Stratton, dean of Nativity Cathedral, drafted a wonderful letter to the Cathedral community. It is exactly what we need to hear at this challenging moment. With his permission, I am sharing with you.
*****
A Pastoral Message from Father Jon
“People will faint from terror, apprehensive of what is coming on the world, for the heavenly bodies will be shaken … When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift up your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
~ Jesus Christ, according to Luke
Jesus did not pretend that everything was OK when everything was not OK. According to Luke’s Gospel, one day while Jesus and his disciples were walking the streets of the Capital City, Jesus pointed at all the grand religious and civic buildings and told the Apostolic gang that there were cracks in the proverbial foundation, and those deep fissures would soon cause some mighty large stones to tumble.
Things were not OK in Jerusalem. There were cracks in the religious and civic foundations that were tearing apart the nation, and with the use of his theological imagination, Jesus speaks of the difficult times that were coming. He uses apocalyptic images of war, pestilence, and stars falling from heaven to describe the anxiety producing situation that his disciples – his friends – would find themselves in. He does not pretend that everything is OK when everything is not.
But he also says something strange. It might sound a little naïve or even reckless considering the context. He says, when the sky seems to be falling, when the heavenly bodies start shaking, when you can feel the foundation swaying, fear not.
Lift up your heads. Your redemption is drawing near. Even in the most rocky of times, Jesus promises to show up. Not necessarily to shore up the foundations, but to love, to hold, and to stand in solidarity with his beloved, as they walk on shaky ground with their heads held high.
There are cracks in our foundation as a nation, and I don’t think Jesus wants us to pretend that everything is OK. You’ve probably seen the news of what appears to have been an assassination attempt on Donald Trump this evening. Right here in the Keystone State, we have witnessed the deadly fissures of partisan hostility, rage, and unrighteous division swallow the life of at least two people and wound several others. Everything is not OK. The cracks in our foundations are widening, and the consequences of this most recent act of violence, in addition to a growing sense of political frustration, the rise of political idolatries such as Christian Nationalism, and an increase in the the type of unholy partisanship that keeps us from seeing each other’s humanity, have the potential to be apocalyptical. At least, that’s how some of us are feeling tonight. Things are feeling a little shaky. The future might seem a bit scary. You might even be feeling like one of Jesus’ disciples, back in Jerusalem, who were anxiously wondering how it was all going to end.
If that’s you, I believe Jesus is saying the same thing he said in Luke’s Gospel. Fear not. Lift up your heads. Your redemption is drawing near. We do not have to pretend that everything is OK when everything is not. Jesus didn’t. But even when things aren’t OK, we can lift up our heads. We can keep watch for the one who promises never to leave us nor forsake us and to stand with us even to the ends of the earth.
Jesus will show up. He’ll show up in the love we show each other and our neighbor, regardless of political perspective or party label. He’ll show up in our efforts to build a more Beloved Community, where everybody is treated with respect and dignity. He’ll show up in the hope and comfort we find in our songs, in our prayers, and in our liturgy. And yes, he’ll show up on Sunday, like he always does, in the breaking of the Bread, offering us a glimpse and a taste of the way the world should be, a world where love wins, a world were all God’s children find a seat at the Lord’s table, a world where everybody is somebody.
Jesus will show up. So, fear not. Lift up your heads. Our redemption is near.
In Christ’s Love,
Father Jon
*****
Prayers ascending for all,
Mo. Laura