It has taken me awhile to formulate a response to George Floyd's tragic and senseless murder in Minneapolis. The country has erupted in protests, some of them violent. My internet news sources have posted interviews, editorials, and photos of the incident and the subsequent world-wide response. I am riveted by a particular photo. It is of the President of the US, Donald Trump, holding up a Bible in front of St. John's Episcopal Church in the nation's capital. Rubber bullets were used on protesters to clear his way to this staged photo op. This image enrages me to the point of nausea. My hands are shaking so hard I can hardly type. Everything this man is, does, and says flies in the face of Episcopal theology, and I hope the push back from the church and the public causes him to hesitate to use our resources for his hate-filled agenda in the future. He and his administration spew racism, division, and threats of violence in every news cycle to stir up their cowardly, paranoid base that is desperate to find a scapegoat for their misery.
Let me explain. As I have pointed out, we are a liturgical church, with Holy Baptism and Holy Eucharist being the most central rites of our common life. In normal times, we celebrate the Eucharist (Holy Communion) every week, as contrasted with the occasional use of Communion in many denominations. We do this primarily to make the trip to the altar a regular event of the week. We engage there in the most holy exchange available: we take in the mystical body and blood of the Savior to be transformed and strengthened for the work we are called to do in a broken and suffering world. At the same time, we offer to serve as God's hands and hearts in the coming week. One could not possibly live in this manner in good faith and be filled to overflowing with selfishness, vindictiveness, small-mindedness and all-consuming narcissism.
Even more to the point is the rite of Baptism. We celebrate Holy Baptism on feast days, such as the Easter Vigil and Pentecost, the bestowing of the Holy Spirit, which fell on this past Sunday. It is a joyous day when we have someone wanting Baptism for themselves or a child. When there are no candidates, we repeat the Baptismal covenant anyway. The questions asked form the core of our theology. Here are a few that are burning in my heart this week: Do you renounce the evil powers of this world which corrupt and destroy the creatures of God? Do you reaffirm your renunciation of evil? Do you renew your commitment to Jesus Christ? Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being? (Book of Common Prayer, pp. 302-305)
Another image was provided by my priest. We noticed in our recorded service for Pentecost Sunday that her voice cracked as she ended her sermon. In a conversation yesterday, she said, "I couldn't stop seeing that officer's knee on the neck of Jesus." That's how you respect the dignity of every human being - search for the face of Jesus.
So, Mr. President, kindly do not use my beloved church as a backdrop for your photo ops. We pray for you regularly, but have yet to see the kind of transformation we hope for all of God's children. When you attended the memorial service for a true American hero, Sen. John McCain, whom you continue to drag up as a focus of your ire, it appeared that you do not even know the words to The Lord's Prayer. Take your campaign to places where your way of thinking and speaking are considered acceptable.
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