One of the great theologians of the last century, Karl Barth, used to say that we should preach with the Bible in one hand and a newspaper in the other. He believed strongly that our faith needed to be connected to how we understood events in our world. Barth felt that Christians should view the world through the lens of faith, and that faith should be relevant to daily life. And he believed that the news should be interpreted in light of the Bible. This past week, events were held to mark the 80th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, the notorious concentration camp in Poland. Years ago, I had the privilege of meeting a friend of my grandfather’s who had served in WW2, he was at the Battle of the Bulge and had helped to liberate one of the camps. He spoke about how the horror and the sorrow had remained with him for the rest of his life. To witness such suffering was unimaginable. It was something he would never forget. He wondered how human beings could treat each other with such inhumanity. Today, we are forced to consider a similar question as we see fear and anxiety spreading across our nation. People feel very vulnerable and very afraid. Let us pray, O God, we need your presence and guidance more than ever. Help calm our anxious hearts and remind us of who you call us to be as Christians, as human beings in this world you have created for love. Amen.
Often Jesus would tell his friends not to be afraid. We hear throughout our readings today about the importance of courage and faith. In our first reading from Deuteronomy, we hear these words… “Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.” Franklin D. Roosevelt said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important than fear.” Nelson Mandela said, “I learned that courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. I’m going to admit something to you as I watch events unfold in our country. I am afraid. I am afraid that the most vulnerable are being scapegoated to focus the attention of people on them to distract us from the bigger concerns of our day, including the growing economic disparity not only in our country but around the world. I am afraid for our precious planet, for our neighbors who are immigrants, beloved family who identify as LGBTQ; I am afraid for those who struggle with racism and intolerance, those who struggle with the cycles of poverty, seniors who need meals on wheels and Medicaid. This is an overwhelming time. I am afraid and I think many of you are also. What then must we do? Our reading from the psalms reminds us, “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear.”
I’m guessing that many of you may know that the term ‘Scapegoating’ originates in the Bible, in the Old Testament book of Leviticus, which tells of how two goats would be ritually chosen, with one killed as a sacrifice to Yawh and the released into the wilderness. This second goat would be allowed to ‘escape’, in the hope that any punishment would fall upon the escaped goat rather than the people of Israel themselves. All of the sins of the community would ritualistically be placed upon this goat in the hope that it would help to atone for the sins of the community. Today, many of the most vulnerable in our society are being blamed for problems which we face; this of course is false and yet a simple way to cause further divisions among us.
As a way to cope with my own fear, I’ve been reflecting on important people in history who have demonstrated great courage in their lives because they believed deep down that something was wrong and that they needed to stand up to help others. Many have been influenced by their faith and others by their essential belief in humanity and by a deep moral conviction. As I sought wisdom in recent days, I felt drawn to revisit some of the readings by Dietrich Bonhoeffer, a Lutheran minister, who because of his faith, was put to death at the age of 39 because of his active role in resisting the evils of Hitler and the Nazi government. Along the way, I read stories of others who also courageously resisted the Nazis during the 1930’s and 40’s.
There is a German Resistance Museum in Berlin where on their website, one can read the stories of many others of that time who showed great courage. Some took very public positions; others chose to continue to buy goods from Jewish shop owners even after they were outlawed, still others worked behind the scenes to provide support and a path to freedom for their neighbors. They were heroic and most of their names are almost forgotten to history. But they saw what was happening and they knew they had to do something or else they would be complicit in some way.
Almost two weeks ago, some of you may have seen the video of the closing words of a Sermon by Bishop Mariann Budde at the National Cathedral in Washington where she addressed the incoming president and asked him to show mercy upon all who are afraid in our communities, especially those who feel most vulnerable. She appealed to him as she spoke from her faith about God’s gift of mercy, God’s call for us to be merciful. You won’t be surprised to learn that she has been targeted with hate filled rhetoric and threats. In 2023, Bishop Budde published a book entitled, How We Learn To Be Brave. In the book, she weaves together scripture and teachings with stories of those who because of their deep faith chose to speak up and stand with those who were being marginalized or were suffering.
Of course, another person of great courage was the Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. who composed his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail” in April 1963 in response to being imprisoned for his efforts to desegregate Birmingham, Alabama, known for its repressive and regressive policies during the 1960s. King decided to write because the Birmingham campaign of non-violent resistance, King’s policies, and his very presence had been attacked in print by eight white clergymen. King never names his critics, but his letter offers a detailed renunciation of their charges that his efforts were ill-timed, misguided, and inopportune. King composed a strong letter in response to their public criticism as he defended the program of nonviolent direct action as a way to protest unjust laws and he argued forcefully for the need to end racial injustice in the United States. One of the striking questions he poses to his fellow clergy persons as he justifies why he has ended up in jail is given the great injustice to their brothers and sisters, why they are not in there with him.
In our Gospel from Luke, Jesus highlights the beautiful reading from the prophet Isaiah as a way of reminding us of what is at the heart of his ministry….”The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, and to set free those who are oppressed…” I think we know who our brothers and sisters are that are among the most vulnerable; we know the teachings on the last Judgement that Jesus proclaimed in Matthew 25 to care for the least among us. Now we each need to discern in our hearts and in our prayer what we must do so that we stay true to who we are and whose we are. Let us truly embrace the words of the Psalmist, “The Lord is the stronghold of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?”