Dear Folks,
In a pastoral letter this week, presiding bishop Sean Rowe suggests how we can respond to the reality unfolding around us. As followers of the teachings of Jesus, he reminds us, our “first allegiance is to the kingdom of God, not to any nation or political party.”
“The events of the last several days lend urgency to this spiritual challenge… The executive order banning or restricting travel from 19 countries… (impacts) countries that are home to dioceses of The Episcopal Church and many of our Anglican Communion partners… The unwarranted deployment of the National Guard and U.S. Marine Corps on the streets of Los Angeles also signals a dangerous turn… (and risks) escalating the confrontations unnecessarily…
We are witnessing “the kind of distortion that arises when institutions like the military and the State Department are turned on the people they were meant to protect.
“We are also seeing federal budget proposals that would shift resources from the poor to the wealthy; due process being denied to immigrants; and the defunding of essential public health, social service, and foreign aid programs that have long fulfilled the Gospel mandate to care for the vulnerable, children, and those who are hungry and sick.
“As Christians committed to strive for justice and peace among all people, we know that there is a better way.” The bishop invites us to practice institutional resistance rooted not in partisan allegiance, but in Christian conviction: advocating for federal spending that safeguards the welfare of the most vulnerable; caring for immigrants and refugees in our congregations and communities; and standing in solidarity with other faith groups.
Close to home, BUILD churches, CASA, and our partner schools in Govans and Johnston Square need allies more than ever to show up and speak out, as do neighbors and strangers, friends and family members who are in any way cast to the margins. “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere,” wrote the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. sixty years ago from the Birmingham jail.
At such a time as this, the Holy One shows us again that our sacred work is to weave together the fabric of mutuality. What is your thread to pick up?
Love,
David
Please see Josh’s Reflection or contact Josh for information about the Pride Parade.
For details about the “No Kings Day Rally” please contact Patty McLean.
If you are intending to participate in the rally this Saturday in Patterson Park and would like to carpool to the rally, please gather in the Redeemer parking lot by 2:30 p.m. The rally is from 3-7. Any questions? Contact Patty McLean.