Please read this letter to our elected Wisconsin leaders as well.
Almighty God our heavenly Father, send down upon those who hold office in this State the spirit of wisdom, charity, and justice; that with steadfast purpose they may faithfully serve in their offices to promote the well-being of all people; through Jesus Christ our Lord. AMEN! (Episcopal Book of Common Prayer, p. 822.)
One thing I have learned, probably before I was ever ordained, and definitely over my ordained life, is that if you are engaged with the Gospel and the life of the parishioners of your church, there is no way to totally separate religion and politics. From Mary’s conception of the Christ child, to the angel of God’s appearance to Joseph convincing Joseph to adopt the Son of God as his own, to the traveling of the Theophany couple to Bethlehem, to the finding a room in a stable, to the discussion of the Magi with Herod, to the Magi returning home on a different road, and many other points of the story that I didn’t mention, the story is political ... and that is just the story until Jesus’ birth. The political story says nothing of Jesus turning over the tables in the Temple, Jesus’ Baptism, Jesus healing on the Sabbath, or Jesus dining with prostitutes, lepers and the other “untouchables” of his time. The very essence of Jesus the Christ is political.
Having said all of that, there is a definite taboo of standing in our pulpits, especially Episcopal pulpits, and preaching on the political issues of the day. (Not to mention the threat of losing our non-profit status.) If we as clergy in the Episcopal Church, even outside of our pulpits, begin to speak about the evils of abortion, the benefits of the death penalty, the abnormalities of homosexuals, or the right to carry guns, we are labeled as right-wing fanatics. If we talk about the rights of women’s free choice, the evils of the death penalty (remember “Thou shall not murder”?), equal rights for all people of this country, or limiting the gun laws and where we should be allowed to carry guns in public places, we are labeled progressive left-wing nuts and “un-American.” Either way, half of our congregations would stop attending and the other half would stop giving. And heaven forbid that you point out that irony of being “pro-life” when the child is in the womb, but “pro-death penalty” when someone is an adult. Then you are said to be mixing the issues and told, “It has never happened to you.”
I preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ and that, my friends, is very political. I do not tell people how I vote or for whom to vote. That would be wrong. I ask parishioners to examine their life, examine their Baptismal and Confirmation teachings, examine the teachings of the Gospel and the Church, and then make their decisions based on who they are in relationship with God and where they are on their spiritual journey with God. In the Gospel, we are called to see that we are loved by God, to see that we are sinners, to repent of our sins, and to share God’s love with the world -- and not necessarily in that order.
In the Episcopal Church, when we are baptized, when we witness the baptism of another child of God, or when we make our public profession of our faith, we are asked and then answer the following questions with, “We will, with God’s help”:
Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?
Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?
Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord? (Book of Common Prayer, pp. 304-305)
These three parts of the covenant are central to who we are as followers of Christ, regardless of denominational affiliation.
In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is asked by the Sadducees which commandment is the greatest. Jesus responds by telling the group gathered around him that, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the greatest and first commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40, NRSV).
The first two questions that I reference from The Book of Common Prayer are directly related to this passage from Matthew. If we are loving our neighbors as ourselves, then it follows that we would want justice and peace among all people. I know we as individuals want our dignity respected, so we should respect the dignity of others as well. We all know that sometimes, we have to make sacrifices that require caring for ourselves now, so that we can be in better health later. We also know that we as individuals would never want to give up certain freedoms we have now so that our children or grandchildren couldn’t enjoy what we now enjoy, such as the freedom to practice our religious convictions, beliefs, or practices. Or have the opportunity for safe working conditions. That is respecting the dignity of all human beings, not just those that are gathered now, but the ones yet to come.
And this, then, is where it gets political. We are all children of God, regardless of whether we are Christians, Muslims, Jews, Hindus, another faith or even no faith. In all of our faith traditions, we have similar teachings of loving God above all things. The question for us all becomes, “What/who is our God?” When we say “God,” do we mean the creator of heaven and earth? The Supreme Being of all of our faith traditions? Or when we say “God,” do we mean that which gives us meaning, that in which we put our faith and love, and look to for redemption? Or, when we say “God,” do we mean that which gives us comfort in this world and pays our bills?
I mention this last sentence in regard to the third question I quoted from the Baptismal Covenant, “Will you persevere in resisting evil, and, whenever you fall into sin, repent and return to the Lord?” (Book of Common Prayer, p. 305). We as clergy and as members of the Body of Christ must stand against tyranny and evil when we see it happening. We must stand for the rights of individuals and of communities and to be voices in protecting the individuals from oppressive governments where rights are limited, and people are treated as mere spokes in a wheel instead of the very essence of what makes the wheel continue.
In Matthew’s Gospel, it also is written, “No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” (Matthew 6:24, NRSV.) At some point, those in positions of public trust are going to have to choose between serving the wealth, the big bottom lines of corporate America and maintaining a balance of fair Labor Laws (respecting the dignity of others, loving your neighbor as yourself, and seeking and serving God in all people, not just Big Business), not only in the state of Wisconsin, but in Tennessee, Ohio, New Jersey, and other states around the country. It is time for the voices of the people to be heard. When we couple the tax breaks for businesses that was passed in early February here in Wisconsin, along with this measure to recover the lost revenue from the paychecks of the working class of Wisconsin, it makes one wonder who we are serving. One of these measures without the other seems fine on the surface. Yet putting these two issues together, along with other measures to be proposed by this legislative session, this becomes not a question of what is “right” for the state employees to pay, but one of justice. Is it just to give businesses a big tax break and to have middle class Wisconsinites completely pay the bill, regardless of where they are on the pay scale?
There has to be a better way. There has to be a “middle ground.” It is time for those with hidden agendas to stop trying to break down all of the progress of this country, and to stop hiding behind a facade of allegedly caring for the people. It is time the Gospel to be heard. Search deep...who/what is your God in this situation? What are you worshipping, the almighty dollar or the almighty God? It is time for this country to stop the self-serving political wrangling, acknowledge the sin, repent and return to God.
The Gospel is political. Jesus is political. Being a priest is counter-cultural. Believing in God is counter-cultural today. Using a personal/sick day to go to the State Capitol to have your voice heard in peaceful protest is not only your right as a U.S. citizen, but something that Jesus himself did during his ministry. Maybe that’s why we crucified him, because he stood up for those without a voice. Jesus stood up for those being oppressed or shunned or thought of as unnecessary in their society. Who will you stand up for? Who will stand up for you?
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