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Dear friends in Christ:
I’m pausing in the middle of sermon writing to send this note of encouragement to you.
Union Congregational UCC in Green Bay is the oldest worshiping congregation in the Wisconsin Conference UCC. Today they mark a great milestone – 190 years!
One of the interesting facts about the congregation is that they are officially designated as a stop on the Underground Railroad by the Department of the Interior. The Rev. Bridget Flad Daniels says: “The best corroborated story tells of the pastor and his wife harboring a former slave and his children in the church belfry while they were awaiting safe passage to Canada. Several others in the congregation also provided such sanctuary.”
This story is a testimony to our long tradition of “loving neighbors near and far” and advocating for justice, equity and inclusion for all God’s people. In these frightening days, it is helpful to remember we stand on the shoulders of those saints who boldly fought against the powers of discrimination and subjugation. Our strength comes from them and from the God in whom we live and move and have our being.
The horrific shooting in Minneapolis on Wednesday was further evidence of an unhinged and unchecked executive branch. I believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ condemns the outrageous acts of power and violence the Trump administration is carrying out. ICE raids rationalized by bogus claims about high crime appear to be little more than an attempt to rid our nation of black and brown siblings, coupled with a desire to intimidate opposing voices into silence. Strikes in the Pacific on purported drug traffickers have now killed 110 without due process and in violation of international law prohibiting the killing of already incapacitated people. The capture of the Venezuelan president and his wife is, in essence, a declaration of war and a road to chaos. There’s more, of course: The seizure of oil tankers. The threats against Greenland. We are spinning out of control.
And yet, our Gospel convictions matter. Lately, I have been preaching about the love of Jesus as a compass for the decisions we make and the directions we take. Yes, it is challenging to preach prophetically against the powers and principalities of our time. But we have 190 years of history in which our spiritual ancestors lifted the poor and liberated the marginalized by preaching and marching and practicing Matthew 25 Christianity – welcoming the stranger, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, encouraging the downtrodden.
Friends, I encourage you to lean on the Gospel. Anchor your words in the commandment of neighborly love. Inspire your people to renewed goodness, to random acts of kindness, to loving curiosity toward those who don’t look or sound like us.
Finally, I’m fortified and comforted by this Sunday’s lectionary reading from Isaiah 43:
Thus says the Lord: Do not fear, for I have redeemed you.
I have called you by name and you are mine.
When you pass through the waters I will be with you,
and the rivers shall not overwhelm you.
When you walk through the fire you will not be burned nor consumed by flames,
For I am the Lord your God and you are precious in my sight, and I love you.
Faithfully yours, |
