Jan. 8, 2021
Dear siblings of the Mountain Sky Conference,
This week, we celebrated Epiphany, remembering when the Magi brought gifts to visit the Christ Child. In so doing, Jesus, God Incarnate, is “revealed” to the world as Lord.
The term epiphany means “to show”, “to make known” or even “to reveal”.
On Jan. 6 – the day of Epiphany – much was shown, made known, and revealed. Our nation experienced an insurrection to disrupt a basic tenet of the U.S. Constitution: certifying the Electoral College vote, completing the electoral process and honoring the will of the people. Rioters sought to undo the peaceful transfer of power which has always been one of the historical markers that distinguished these United States from many other countries around the world.
The photographs of that day showed a desecration of our halls of government. Acts of domestic terrorism resulted in elected officials cowering behind locked doors, people breaking windows and stealing government property, and death threats scrawled on government doors.
There are two photographs that “show”, “make known”, and “reveal” – the lynching stage constructed in the Mall between Lincoln Memorial and the Capitol, and the Confederate flag raised in the halls of that building. Those who were involved were largely white and displayed symbols of white supremacy, revealing the social disease of racism that has been embedded in this country since its very beginning.
Once you see these images, you cannot unsee them. They are seared in our souls and collective memory. And once we see them, God calls us to respond. As citizens, we pledge ourselves to “one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all” and we are called to continue to help our country live into that ideal, not for some but for all.
Our church is not immune from the brokenness of racism. We in the Mountain Sky Conference know that our history includes the Sand Creek Massacre, Japanese detention camps, KKK and other white supremacist organizations. The United Methodist Church bears the stain of racism, believing that a “separate but equal” jurisdiction for African American Methodists would be the way to unite the (white) denomination.
On Jan. 6, so much pain, discrimination, and violence were revealed, leaving us with a trauma that each of us carries.
Where is God in this? Who is God calling us to be as disciples of Jesus? If we follow the one the Magi recognized as Lord, we are both burdened and blessed with the responsibility to bear the Light of Christ in the world. To shine this light on the broken places. To bring to the light those things that hide in the shadows so that the Spirit can mend, heal, and make whole.
Elections never please everyone. This is the nature of a democratic process where one candidate garners more votes than another and “wins”. But as members of the Body of Christ, there can be no winners or losers. Christ’s call to love God and love neighbor is a spiritual imperative to ensure that each person is aware of their belovedness. We are called to push back on anything that denies or threatens this belovedness. God’s call causes us to extend God’s love even to those with whom we disagree.
We invite you to turn to scripture and pray for our nation as we move forward to more fully live into the ideals we hold to be self-evident. We ask you continue to engage in the anti-racism work the conference is offering. Be bold in your witness to challenge the evil sin of racism in whatever form it manifests itself. May we build up a country – and a church – which truly cherishes and works towards liberty and justice for all.
“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.” (Romans 12: 9-12)
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