Grace and peace to you in the name of Jesus!
I was shocked, as I’m sure many of you were, by the images, chants, and violence coming out of Washington, D.C. yesterday. Lies led, as they usually do, to violence, destruction, and even death.
It was hard to imagine. Not here, not in the land of liberty. It was a sad day in our history. There are many hearts frozen with hatred. As a nation, we are in need of healing and peace.
Last night, at the start of our Livestream Evensong, I shared the following prayer from the Book of Common Worship Daily Prayer (a Presbyterian resource). It was written by President Woodrow Wilson and seemed to be appropriate for the circumstances.
Almighty God, ruler of all the peoples of the earth, forgive, we pray, our shortcomings as a nation; purify our hearts to see and love truth; give wisdom to our counselors and steadfastness to our people; and bring us at last to the fair city of peace, whose foundations are mercy, justice, and goodwill, and whose builder and maker you are; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Please join me in praying for our nation, our democratic process, and the peaceful transfer of power. There is a lot of hard work that lies ahead and our newly elected leaders are going to need wisdom, strength, compassion, and commitment to our nation’s highest ideals.
As Christians, who have been washed in the waters of God’s love, we have a role to play in the healing and reconciliation of our nation, the pursuit of justice and peace. This is nothing new. When someone is baptized, we say the following, “We welcome you into the body of Christ and into the mission we share: join us in giving thanks and praise to God and bearing God’s creative and redeeming word to all the world.”
Bearing God’s creative and redeeming word is the work of the baptized children of God. Our words and actions can either contribute positively or negatively to the well being of our families, neighborhoods, community, and nation. Do we share love and compassion or hatred and indifference? Do we seek justice and peace or pursue self-interest and stir the proverbial pot? What we say, tweet, like, and do matters. Since Christians primary allegiance is to Christ, do we imitate Jesus or do we try to fashion Christ into our preconceived image?
Over the coming weeks, I invite the St. James Lutheran community to reflect upon Baptism. On Sunday, January 10 and 17, we will offer two Teaching Worships on Baptism during the 9:30 Livestream and 8:00 Drive-In. I will share insights on baptism from Martin Luther’s Large and Small Catechisms.
On Sunday evening (7:00 -8:30 p.m.), January 17, I will offer a special Bible Study discussion on the book of Galatians and welcome. We will take a deep dive into this letter of Paul that features Baptism as a foundational place for identity and response. This event accompanies the material on Christian hospitality that the Faith Team are discussing but it is open to all. Click Here to Register.
Focusing on Baptism - both the promise and the invitation to discipleship - is a good thing for us to do as we respond to what is happening in Washington D.C. and around our country. We need the waters of God’s love to break through the hardest of hearts, including our own. Remembering God’s love and the command of Christ to love our neighbor (even our enemies) is a critical companion to our prayers for peace. May we each - in ways large and small - respond as our baptisms would have us, reflecting the life of Jesus. Therein lies a hope-filled path for us to travel that leads to healing.
In Christ’s Light,
Pastor Walt