Bob's Blog

At dinner the other night, my 3-year old granddaughter sat on my lap and told me she was a kitty-cat!

“A kitty-cat?” I said. “I thought you were my favorite youngest granddaughter Callie!”

“No!” she said. “I’m a kitty!”

Hugging her, I laughed, and thought about the amazingly beautiful imagination of children! Sadly, as we grow, mature, and become adults, far too many of us fail to retain that ability to imaginatively put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, and consider what it might be like to be . . . not a kitty-cat, but . . . a person of color, an LGBTQ+ teen, an immigrant or refugee, or a Palestinian parent.

Empathy is all about being able to put ourselves in someone else’s skin. It’s about having the ability to consider the struggles and challenges of those in need, and allowing such experiences to shape our responses to them and to their needs. This is what it means to have hearts that are broken by the very things that broke the heart of Jesus, and it’s what being conformed to his image and likeness is all about.

Unfortunately today, it is becoming increasingly clear that Trumpers, and the whole of the MAGA world, are far less able to do this than the rest of us! ZME Science recently shared a report by Tudor Tarita examining a University of North Texas study that found a chilling link between personality type and support for our nation’s current administration. She writes, “the research, led by psychologist Craig Neumann, examined whether certain personality traits – those associated with callousness, manipulation, and even enjoyment of others’ suffering – correlate with conservative ideology and support for Trump.” No surprisingly, the link is undeniable!

Narcissism, malevolence, and a lack of empathy are common traits of today’s white, right-wing, extremists; and while it might not be fair to label all Trumpers as callous, as a group they tend to be far less compassionate and empathetic than those opposed to Trumpism. The study also found that people with more benevolent traits — or traits more reflective of the way of Jesus — were not just evident in those on the left, but “STRONGLY linked with liberal political beliefs and a rejection of Trump.”

As with so many of the insights being revealed by studies of the MAGA movement, ungodliness abounds. And while we always need to careful not to judge the hearts of others, we CAN judge actions. We CAN judge beliefs and behavior. We CAN judge attitudes and ambitions. And such judgements reveal that there is little if anything, Godly, or Christ-like, coming from the MAGA cult. Trump supporters all across this nation who claim to be following Jesus need to consider this: Christians are what Christians do! And according to Jesus, his followers will NOT be known by what we believe, but by how we live. The mark of our discipleship is how we treat the least of these, NOT by what we say we believe about God, Jesus, or the Bible.

Christ-followers strive to be empathic and compassionate. We take no joy in seeing anyone suffer, and we work to avoid callousness at all cost. We certainly do not embrace, let along promote, malevolence of any kind. And we, hopefully as much as anyone, understand what German-American Rabbi Joachim Prinz meant when he said, “‘neighbor’ is not a geographical term. It’s a moral concept.”

Jesus’ greatest commandment was to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. And who exactly is our neighbor? Everyone! Everyone is our neighbor. We’re called to care for EVERYONE! That is what it means to be a follower of Jesus. And if that is not something we are willing to do, then we need to find a new tribe, and stop maligning the Church of Jesus Christ with a politics of hate, fear, and lies.

In the 1970’s classic book “How to be Christian Without Being Religious,” author Fritz Ridenour posited that followers of Jesus did not have to embrace all the trappings of religiosity in order to be a faithful disciple. It was one of the first places I heard the call to a faith described not as a religion, but a relationship – a relationship with a living God, and a relationship that I still celebrate and enjoy! But sadly, a large segment of the American church today is far more concerned about being religious than being Christian. And that is indeed what they are. They are religious. But they are far from Christ. And they are far from Christianity. They show us everyday how to be religious without being Christian! And the church, and our nation, are worse because of it.

Whether talking about grabbing women ‘by the p_____’, or putting kids in cages; whether quoting TWO Corinthians, or suggesting that the injection of bleach into the body might fight COVID; whether claiming windmills cause cancer, or that Haitian immigrants were eating cats and dogs in Springfield, Il; whether stating that Belgium is a ‘beautiful city’, or wanting to make Canada the 51st state: Donald Trump has proven over and over again that he is far from a ‘stable genius’! For most of his life, and certainly for the past 10 years, the only felon ever to be elected President of the United States has lived a life that mocks the way of Jesus and that denies any sense of character and/or integrity. No president in American history has said or done more things that should have ended a person’s political career than Donald Trump; and yet, he remains one of the most powerful men in the world. He is not just beloved by his followers, but believed by many to be God’s chosen and anointed one!

Pew Research and CNN have both reported that almost 90% of the people who voted for Trump in 2016 also voted for him in 2024. Gallop and variety of other news agencies have consistently reported that over the past decade Trump’s support has remained at about 1/3 of the American population. And Pew Research has also reported that white evangelicals continue to be Trump’s largest base, with 72% approving of his job performance as Commander and Chief. Surprisingly, these statistics have remained relatively static over the years, in spite of the fact that Trump has: filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy on six different occasions, cheated on at least two different wives, been found guilty of sexually assaulting columnist E. Jean Carroll, tried to flush classified documents down a toilet in Mara-Lago, pardoned over 1,500 people found guilty by courts across the country of rioting at the capitol, and on and on! All of these ills and evils have been like water on a duck’s back; and support for ‘the Donald’ remains strong. Never the less, the Never-Trumpers of the world continue to try convince family, friends, and neighbors, that Donald Trump is a fraud!

To that end, attention today has now shifted to the “Epstein files”, in the hopes that perhaps, finally, if Trump’s name can be found on some kind of ‘client list,’ his support might begin to wane.

But are the pictures not enough? Are photographs and videos of Donald Trump, sitting and talking with Jeffrey Epstein, surrounded by young women and girls, not enough for us to know that there was more than a friendship with Epstein, and that Trump likely engaged in child sexual abuse? Do we really need any more evidence? It’s not like such behavior would be foreign to this man who history has proven to be a liar, misogynist, and pervert.

Donald Trump has shown, and continues to show us who he really is. He has not changed since he sat in a TV board room and arrogantly shouted “you’re fired” to one who he believed had not measured up to his standards of what ‘good’ business people are supposed to be like. Never the less, far too many people still seem to believe that if we can just continue to point out his flaws, his sins, his reprehensible behavior, his glaring ignorance on so many fronts – some people continue to believe that if we can continue to shine a light on the heart and soul of this morally bankrupt narcissist – that the tide will turn and change will come.

Well America, it’s time to stop! It’s time to stop allowing Donald Trump to take up so much of our head-space! He is not going change, and neither is his base. And we are wasting our time thinking that we can do anything about that. Because they just don’t care! They don’t care about his ignorance. They don’t care about his immorality. They don’t care about the crimes he’s committed. They don’t care about his ruining our nation’s reputation around the world. And they certainly don’t care about Jeffrey Epstein. The only thing they care about is furthering their radical, racist, homophobic, patriarchal agenda. So the time has come for us to stop focusing on Donald Trump, and instead focus on his followers. They are the people who should most concern us today.

Hopefully, in ten years, Donald Trump will be history! But sadly, Trumpers will still be with us. So what are we going to do with them? How are we going to deal with them? Do we shame them? Do we try to maginalize them? Do we try to push them into the closet in the hopes that they might go back into the night from which they came?

The answer to those last three questions is ‘perhaps!’ I’m not beyond shaming, nor am I unwilling to refuse to listen to or have conversations with those for whom reason and rationality have become forms of elitism and political correctness that need to be avoided. I’m also not unwilling to boycott businesses that publicly defend Trump’s actions, or even reduce the amount of time and energy I spend with and on people who part of the Trump cult. But none of that is enough. We must also do everything we can to take away their power.

Now obviously that won’t be easy. When people believe that there is an existential threat to their way of life, they are not going to be easily silenced. And they certainly are not going to give up power without a fight – even using violence, as we saw on January 6th. But we cannot be deterred. And if that means having difficult family conversations, or calling out the hypocrisy of siblings in Christ; if that means walking away from friends with whom we discover we have significant . . . not just differences of opinion, but a difference of morals; if that means challenging neighbors or strangers who make comments that attempt to normalize the evils of this administration, then so be it! All of us need to be regularly pushing back, in every and any way possible.

Donald Trump’s followers just don’t care about the type of human being that he is. But we do. So let’s stop trying to expose the hypocrisy of HIS life, and instead begin to expose the hypocrisy of theirs!

We grew up together. We went to school and church together. We partied together in college, and backpacked through Europe together. We took family vacations together; and we attended the birthday parties, graduation parties, and eventually the weddings, of one another’s children. We grieved with one another when people we loved died, and we celebrated the arrival of grandchildren. And all of this, we did together!

So of course I thought I knew you! I thought you were kind, caring, and compassionate. We didn’t always agree – at least not on everything – but I still respected you, and I thought you were a person of character and integrity. I assumed we had, not the same, but at least similar morals and values. But most of all, I presumed that when it came to the basics, like standing up for others, or condemning things like lying, cheating, and breaking the law . . . well . . . I thought that surely we were on the same page.

Unfortunately, over the past 9 years, you’ve shown me how wrong I was! Our being together actually taught me very little about you: for you somehow managed to hide your true self, and I was apparently too naïve to see the real you! All those long talks on the beach and on the golf course, all the laughter over long dinners, and all the sharing of our deepest thoughts and dreams – they were all a great charade! You basically lied to me. You pretended to be someone you are not. And you led me to believe that we had more in common than we actually did!

But I’ll not put all the blame on you – I’ll own the charade as well. I didn’t see what I didn’t want to see. And so I was willing to overlook, excuse, and ignore the warning signs: signs that gave me glimpses of a heart that frightened me, even repelled me. I remember that time you mocked President Obama with your friends, and when you said things about people of color that played into stereotypes and perpetuated racist thinking. And each time, I said nothing! I remember when I first noticed our privilege, and when you failed to understand how that privilege biased and blinded us to the sins of our nation and culture; and again, I said nothing. I remember when you said things that sounded very spiritual, but that lacked the love that we both claimed to be at the very heart of God; and once again, I said nothing.

Looking back, too often, I said nothing. Because I didn’t want to break the relationship. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings and lose your friendship. I didn’t want to come across as arrogant, or ‘holier than thou’! And so I kept my mouth shut and said nothing! And as you continued to wear your mask, I continued to wear mine. I pretended to agree with all that you said and did, and made believe that we were of the same tribe. I convinced myself that when push came to shove, we were on the same page.

But you are not my tribe, and we are not on the same page! And as a result, I’m walking away. I’m sorry, but clearly, I misjudged you! I will never forget, and will likely even treasure, many of our memories. I will always remember your laughter, the things that got you excited, the songs that made you cry. I will never stop loving you. But sadly there are no more memories to be made. There will be no more game nights, no more pool parties, no more dinners out or nights at the movies. And it’s all because I misjudged you. I see that now.

And when I stop and really think about it, the misjudgment was not so much about our differing belief systems, significant though they may be. Rather, I misjudged the company you keep. I misjudged the people you like to spend time with. I thought I was like them, or perhaps I just wanted to be like them. But I’m not. I’m not like them at all. Your tribe, is not my tribe! And if I’m honest, I don’t like the way your tribe talks, acts, or treats people. And apparently, whatever your politics actually is, you’ve chosen to place it above the character, integrity, truth, kindness, and compassion of the people in your tribe. So while I may still love you, I need to around people who bring out the best in me: people who put the love that is God, above everything else . . . including their politics!

So, I’m walking away. I don’t have a choice. I’ll miss you – for sure! But I clearly misjudged you; and for that, I am oh so very sorry.

In 2016, Hillary Clinton’s concerns about the callous reproach of the MAGA movement was ignored because of the media’s distraction by her choice of words. Few adjectives better described the followers of Donald Trump than ‘deplorable’, but people were so offended by a presidential candidate’s honest but blunt assessment of her opponents radical followers, that they failed to seriously consider the reality of what she had to say. Today, eight years later, at the risk of being similarly honest, and offensively blunt; or worse, being labeled an arrogant elitist with an educational background worthy of little more than vilification, someone needs to openly address the intelligence of a movement that has become a cult. So let’s just consider the facts of this thing called MAGA.

In 2018, it was reported that 61% of non-college educated white voters cast ballots for Republicans; and this percentage increased in 2020. College educated voters accounted for 41% of the electorate, and 55% of them supported Joe Biden, to Donald Trump’s 43%. Trump received ⅔ of white voters without a college degree, and in 2024 the education gap only increased according to the Wall Street Journal. They reported that once again “the key division in (the emerging Republican) coalition is education. Voters without college degrees tilt far more Republican than those with them. (And) unfortunately for Democrats, voters without a bachelor’s degree outnumber those with one in the electorate by 57% to 43%!”

So what do we do with this information? Clearly, there is all kinds of evidence pointing to a lack of formal education among MAGA voters! That simply cannot be denied, and the implications cannot be underestimated. In fact it is evidenced by their susceptibility to conspiracy theories, ‘alternate’ facts, and most tragically their embracing of an arm of Christianity that lacks any sort of intellectual credibility. So is it any wonder that as the second presidency of the felon in the White House continues, so many continue to question his ability, as well as the ability of his friends and followers, to reasonably and rationally deal with any of the complexities facing our nation and our world.

Now let’s be clear, a college degree is not a measure of one’s intelligence! Intelligence is the ability to acquire, understand, and use knowledge; and a college degree does not guarantee any of this. Just as standing in a garage doesn’t make one a car, and just as going to church or being part of a faith community is not a measure of one’s spirituality, attending university does not necessarily affirm a person’s capacity to think, process information, discern truth from fiction, or learn. It does not guarantee intelligence! 

However, that being said, formal education is about learning to think. It’s about a person acquiring new information and discovering things that have never before been heard or considered. It’s about being exposed to a rational approach to concepts and ideas so that we might better understand what is, as well as what might be! And it’s about developing the skills needed to put this new information and understanding to use in the creation of a better world! Higher education may be far from perfect, however it has helped billions of people around the world  learning to think and growing their intelligence! And as a result, society has been bettered! Minds have been opened and new and advanced realities have been allowed to find their way to fruition! And while here in America, higher education has often been regarded as little more than a means to a good job, for countless students it has actually been about so much more! Education has been a means to intellectual, emotional, and psychological health, and as a result it has broadened minds and expanded hearts.

Tragically, the vast majority of uneducated citizens in this country voted for Donald Trump, both in 2016 and in 2024.  And while JD Vance believes that not everyone needs a college education, and that for some, tradesshools may be a better option, the success of any democracy depends upon a well-educated populace. Our nation’s founders knew this 250 years ago, and sadly, we’re all being forced to grapple with this truth yet today! And while using the adjective ‘ignorant’ to describe the MAGA cult today may not necessarily be any more appealing than using the term ‘deplorable’, it is no less accurate. And we simply need to admit that. This nation is being led by the ignorant, and unless things change, our democracy is doomed!

How do things change? Stay tuned for part 2.

While hard to admit, my early years were ones that regarded outsiders with great suspect. ‘Othering’ was a way of life, and people were never just people; they were non-Christians, non-Catholics, and non-Italians. Blacks were inferior. Mormons were lost and confused. And anyone who didn’t measure up to my family’s standards were to be avoided. 

But what was most insidious about those years was that we were still called to be ‘nice’ to everyone, even though the niceness was disingenuous, condescending, and superficial. We weren’t mean to people . . . in fact the exact opposite – we were taught to be kind to everyone . . . but while we were respectful to your face, inside we knew that you were less. You were inferior and didn’t measure up simply because you were unlike us! You were different: and different, meant deficient! So you needed to be avoided at all cost! “Be careful of the company you keep!” “Oil and water don’t mix!” And “choose your friends better than yourself.” These were just a few of the mantras that I heard again, and again, and again; mantras that still today, I have to work hard to silence!

Sadly, the church, and the spirituality that surrounded me, only magnified these messages. “Don’t be contaminated by the world!” “Be holy, and set apart!” And “what fellowship does light have with darkness?” It was a terrible place to live; and while I was often attracted to that which was different, and that which went against the flow, I was usually made to feel that such attractions were unGodly, and contrary to Spirit’s desired work in my life!

Needless to say, when I left home for college in the big city – Washington, DC – my narrow and naive worldview began to disintegrate. Brick by brick, the wall between me and the world, began to rock! My roommate, and the fraternity that would eventually elect me president, were Jewish! My advisor was a Black man who eventually became a good friend. And my new buddy from one of my “International Relations” classes (who just happened to have a really nice Chevy Camero!) was Iranian – and this was during the Iranian hostage crisis! 

I loved listening to the Black women who taught my “How Europe Underdeveloped Africa” class; and was fascinated by a Syrian professor who was constantly trying to get us to better understand the Arab-Israeli conflict, and from the perspective of the Palestineans. As far as church goes: I went to Roman Catholic mass for over a year; but then began attending a large Presbyterian Church near campus, and before long began calling it home! The people that had become part of my world were unlike any I had met before, and I learned very quickly that they were ‘my people!’ I had found ‘my tribe’ and for the first time began to realize that indeed, sometimes, things are not wrong, they are just different! And that difference is not something I need to fear or avoid! The very people I had been taught to always view with suspect, were people who bore the image of the very same God that could be found in me!

Then, as if my worldview hadn’t been blown up enough, I took a semester abroad; and Copenhagen Denmark kept me moving forward down that road upon which Washington DC had set my feet. Halfway around the world, things began unraveling more quickly and more completely than ever! Everything was new, and different, and it was all pushing my buttons. 

But by the time I returned home, I realized that there was more than one way to dress, eat, speak, think, behave, and live; and there was immense beauty in these differences! In fact, I began discovering that perhaps diversity was a very intentional part of God’s plan for creation. For just as all things exist in God, God exists in all things. Each of us bears the imprint of the Divine, and while we are certainly incomplete, each of us gives one another a glimpse into the character and nature of the Holy. And what that means is the more we are able to embrace and appreciate all the diversity in this world, the broader and more complete our image of God becomes! Which is why today, I continue to be drawn to those who are not like me: because more often than not, they reveal God to me in new, fresh, and important ways!

As different and diverse as human beings are, we have far more in common than we are different from one another. And that which we have in common, especially people of faith, is the foundation upon which God’s coming kindom is being built! This world is simply too big, and my world is still too small, for me to think that I do not have much to learn from people unlike me. And when it comes to matters of faith, and God? . . . well, how dare I ever think that I can put God in a box, and have holiness, and divinity all figured out. How dare I believe that I am always right, and that everyone else is always wrong.

The world in which we live is vast, complex, diverse, morphing, growing, moving, shifting, transforming, and varied. But it’s nothing to fear. Rather, it’s to be appreciated, and celebrated! 

This is an abbreviated version of my sermon from Sunday, February 9, 2025, and was based on a portion of Jeremiah 17, verses 5-10.

As I sat in the Starbucks just down the road from the Federal Courthouse in Alexandria, Virginia last Monday morning, surrounded by federal workers, I was stunned at the arrogance of the retiree in orange sneakers, sitting behind me.

A young Asian woman waiting for her drink casually said hello, and he responded by returning the hello, and then went on to ask her how she was – that question that we all often ask, but without really wanting an answer! We’ll this woman was a talker, so she DID answer, and then proceeded to share how hard the past week had been for her.

Now I didn’t actually hear her say the words, but before I knew it I heard orange sneaker dude say “I wasn’t raised with any of that DEI stuff! In my day, people were people! Blacks were Blacks, and whites were whites. None of it mattered!”

I looked up from my computer screen, kinda’ stunned! “Really?” I thought! “Because if ‘your day’ was here in America, anytime in the past 400 years, then you’re really showing your ignorance right now!”

You see, if Blacks were Blacks and whites were whites, then why . . .  for example, are the incarceration rates for Black weed users so much higher than for white weed users? In fact, why just last year did a justice department investigation of the Memphis police department reveal that while Blacks and whites use weed at roughly the same rate, the arrest of Blacks for possession and use, was more than 5 times higher than that of whites!

If people were people, then why is home ownership for middle class Black families so much lower than for middle class white families in this country? 44 to 65% to be a little more precise! And why is the infant mortality rate for people of color in this country more than two times as high as for our white population?

And none of it is new! It’s been like this for generations! So exactly ‘what day’ was ‘your day?’

There were actually all kinds of questions that I wanted to ask the orange sneakered  dude, beyond why he was wearing orange sneakers in the first place!  But I didn’t. I just smiled; and at one point I think I may have even chuckled out loud. I didn’t say anything because I’ve learned. I’ve learned that when it comes to our racism  . . . when it comes to Black history . . . when it comes to something like Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion . . . well, ignorance doesn’t like facts! And it prefers to ignore truth. 

Now sadly, but not surprisingly, this ignorance seems to be on public display these days, for all the world to see; and in the highest offices of our land. So for the past week, in the midst of all the chaos being thrown at the American people, I’ve read and re-read Jeremiah 17 and concluded that neither Jeremiah, nor the entire nation of Judah, had anything over us when it comes to ‘parched places.’

‘Parched places’ seem to be everywhere today; and not just here in America, but all around the globe. And to be clear, they are not just the result of climate change. Humanity’s lack of care and concern for our environment may explain why the planet is heating up as quickly as it is; but parched places? . . . they exist for reasons that extend way beyond air temperature and the availability of water. Scripture speaks about parched places as those places where the justice, goodness, and beauty of God are absent. Parched places are those places where ignorance, and selfishness, where homelessness, and hunger, abound!  They are places where people are forced to live in fear, and where loneliness, violence, war, and poverty are ever present realities!

Now several prophets actually use this phrase to describe the sinful condition of their people; but Jeremiah was particularly concerned with this ungodly state of affairs. Perhaps that’s why he is referred to as the ‘weeping prophet’, because he knew, and appreciated, the depth of his people’s sin, as well as how the consequences of that sin were going to impact Jerusalem, and the entire nation of Judah! So like all the prophets, Jeremiah is calling HIS people, and ALL of God’s people, to a new way . . . to a better way. And that WAY, is one of groundedness, and growth! That is my take-away from Jeremiah 17. As children of God, we need to be pursuing both groundedness and growth, for ourselves, AND FOR ONE ANOTHER! And because of the world’s selfishness, this last part is particularly important today.

Jesus, and all of Scripture, make it clear that it is not good for us to be alone – that we need one another – that none of succeeds unless all of us succeed – and that we ARE in fact our siblings’ keepers! So why are we being told that this way of thinking is communism, or socialism . . . as if thinking about the well-being of others, or being concerned with the welfare of our neighbors, is akin to one of the most oppressive political systems on the planet! When did it become legitimate to regard caring for others, as communistic, socialistic? I thought it was just the way of Jesus!

In spite of what we are being told by the powers that be today, DEI is about being concerned for everyone in our community, especially those for who have been marginalized, and held back and down for so long. And I’m not just talking about people of color. I’m talking everyone . . . women, people who differently abled, people who may not look like us, or who have different religions! Diversity, equity, and inclusion, are all about making sure that we are on a level playing field, that everyone has a fair shot at living their best life, and that every voice in the room is welcomed and being heard!.

So blaming DEI for the plane crash over the Potomac, as if the pilot had been a man it wouldn’t have happened . . . such thinking is absolutely absurd. The assumption that only men  . . . and it’s actually usually only white men . . . are capable of doing certain jobs . . . friends, that such thinking still exists today should be the only evidence anyone needs that DEI initiatives are vital to the elimination of parched places. For bringing about God’s kindom here on earth is only going to become a reality when ALL people, men AND women, whites AND Blacks, Christians AND Muslims, straight people AND gay people, are grounded in God’s unconditional love and grace, and are given the freedom to grow in their giftedness!

In 2020 people were outraged by Black Lives Matter; and then two years later it was Critical Race Theory that was being targeted. In 2023 and 24 it was all about our need to become ‘anti-woke’; and now, all of a sudden, it’s about being anti-DEI. But in the end, the opposition is all the same – and it’s nothing more than being ‘anti-Black’! . . . which is why we in the faith community have no choice but to be very clear, that Jesus calls us to speak up, and to speak out, and reject these, and any attempt to further movements that would continue to marginalize people of color, women, or any other minority group in this country.

Parched places abound today; and so we in the Body of Christ are called to seek groundedness and growth, for ourselves AND for others. And that’s not socialism, or communism. It’s called being being humane; and it’s called being like Jesus!

DEI is not destroying America. It was not the cause of the plane crash over the Potomac. It’s not leading to marginalized people being elevated to positions that have no right being in. And it is certainly not leading to the oppression of this nation’s most privileged class. None of that is true! DEI is baked into the theology of what it means to be Christian and the two cannot be separated! It reflects the heart of Jesus because it seeks to make this world a more equitable and just place for all of God’s children; first, by grounding us in the reality that we are all dearly loved by God; and second, by growing within us the knowledge that we all have gifts and abilities that can be used to make this world a better place.

Church, we have come too far to even think about going back: back to those days when women were in the kitchen, when gay people were in the closet, and when Black people simply ‘knew their place’. No doubt, we still have a long way to go; but we who claim to be people of faith are NOT GOING BACK! Because parched places, are no place for any of God’s children to be living!

“I just can’t!”

This has been my sentiment for the past 2 months.

I just can’t . . . believe . . . what so many Americans have done. I can’t believe the hypocrisy of so many people I love, so many people I once respected, so many people I thought were better than this. And I especially can’t believe the ignorance of those in the church: those who claim to be people of faith, but who in their pursuit of power were so willing to compromise the way of Jesus.

I just can’t . . . listen . . . to him speak. Few people as ignorant as our new president have been given a microphone as often as he has. And his addiction to attention is only dwarfed by his inability to say anything worth hearing. His vulgar, condescending, and demeaning ‘weavings’ only reveal his penchant for misinformation, his deliberate perpetuation of lies, his age!, AND . . . the “fool’s ability to fool the fools!”

And I just can’t . . . respond . . . the way I did eight years ago! Not because there was anything wrong with the way I sought to resist the evils of Trumpism; but because my health and well-being, and the health and well-being of my neighbors, depends on so much more. Surely all of the marches, and protests, and candlelight vigils kept my heart from being corrupted by the debauchery of the first Trump presidency, but this time around I am doing things differently.

So as our country prepares for another four-year circus, this time I am going to focus my attention on my immigrant and LGBTQ neighbors who are fearful and wondering where they fit in this nation that has yet again, failed to live up to the ideals of our founders. I am going to devote myself to lifting up the beauty and the joy of all those things that MAGA Republicans fear: that being anything that threatens their privileged, racist, misogynistic, and homo- and xeno- phobic worldview. I’m going to use an even louder voice when it comes to challenging and resisting policies that hurt the marginalized. And I will continue to do anything and everything I can to shame all who defend a ‘purple’ church, who preach a gospel that is more about making an American empire great, than walking in the footsteps of Jesus, and who make the naïve claim that we just need to sit down, listen to one another, and learn to get-along!

And here’s one thing I am NOT going to do! I am NOT going to give this president, or any nut-job in his administration, so much space in my head, or my day, that I am unable to know the peace of God that is so central to my faith. And while the media’s ‘breaking news’ and ‘headline news’ will try to force me to focus on the all the broken parts of this new administration – and there will be many! – I am going to choose to fill my days with love and light. A new day is indeed dawning; and we have a choice as to whether or not it will be a day of hatred or hope.

So beginning right now, I will no longer say “I just can’t . . .”! Because I can! WE can! Today, and for the next 4 years!

From Psalm 24 and Psalm 127:

¹ The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it, the world, and those who live in it . . . , ³ . . . And who shall stand in his holy place? ⁴ Those who have clean hands and pure hearts, who do not lift up their souls to what is false and do not swear deceitfully.

I couldn’t sleep; and didn’t know where to go, or what to do. I know many were still celebrating, but I wasn’t. I was sad. I was heartbroken. Such is the way of elections, right? There will always be those who rejoice, and those who mourn – which is why they’re so hard on us. The uncertainty of it all can at times be overwhelming; and when elections linger as long as it does in this country . . . with the never ending name-calling, and vitriol, and often just down-right mean-spiritedness . . . well, it takes its toll . . . on all of us.

So Wednesday morning I just started writing . . . because that’s what I do when I don’t know what to do!  And I was grateful for the chance to step into few verses of Scripture from my preaching passages for the day in order to consider what they might have to say to us . . . to me!

Psalm 24 reminds us that this is God’s world; and 127 reminds us that unless God builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. And they are two important messages for this week! For they move our thoughts to what God desires for we are the disheartened right now; we who are both citizens of the world, AND citizens of the United States of America!

Whatever what thinks about God, or whatever one chooses to name that transcendent force that is moving all creation towards something more than we see today, people of faith know that holiness is embodied in humanity. In other words, God builds whatever God is going to build through us – through you and me! Our hands, are God’s hands; and thus our hands must always be about the work of God, work which at least according to Jesus, involves caring for the last, compassion for the least, and concern for the lost! Whether we’re talking about a home or a nation, these foci need to be the very foundation, walls, and roof, of whatever it is that we are seeking to build. And this past week I was reminded that this needs to be our goal regardless of who inhabits the White House! Because contrary to what we might think, this building really has nothing at all to do with our elected leaders.

Now this doesn’t mean that we do not want Godly leaders, something that the majority of Americans appear to have forgotten this past week. But rather, it simply means that the building that God seeks to do is simply not dependent upon them. And this morning, when that work appears as though it may be . . . slightly inhibited over the next four years, I simply want to remind us what that work is! Because in time, our lamenting needs to end, and our work needs to be begin again.

In time, we need to return to the challenge of being a people who are able to put ourselves in another person’s shoes, and show empathy for those who have only been able to see the world from the back of the line; remembering what Jesus says about . . . the first being last, and the last being first.

In time, we need to return to the challenge of giving our empathy legs, and showing compassion for ‘the least of these.’ We need to move beyond simply feeling badly, or even just showing mercy, for those the world continues to push aside; and instead, need to seek the justice that is so central to the Gospel message.

And finally, in time, we need to return to the challenge of showing concern for the lost; embracing an evangelism that is NOT about getting people to believe the way we believe; that is not about scaring people into heaven, or threatening them with an eternity in some place we call hell. Rather, we need to simply be one thirsty person leading another thirsty person to water . . . or a person down in the deepest of valleys pointing other people in the valley to that bring, burning light on the top of the mountain!

This is not OUR world, it is God’s! And God is working every day, through people like you and me, to build a kindom that cares for the last, displays compassion for the least, and that is concerned for the lost.

So when other builders, those who as our text says ‘labor in vain’ . . . when presidents and politicians call us to take up our swords and violently stand against the opposition, we remember that God calls us to turn our swords into plows and shovels; and when they call us take up our spears, we remember that Jesus calls us to take up our crosses! And when other builders, those who labor in vain . . . when self-serving leaders consumed by vanity and the pursuit of power call us to see the refugee and the alien as people to be feared, we will see them as neighbors to be cared for; and when they would have us regard our enemies as people to be punished, we will regard them as siblings to be loved.

Will this be hard? Of course it will be hard. Care for the last, compassion for the least, and concern for the lost, is never easy. And in the coming years those who pursue such a kindom will likely be challenged, and demeaned, and called everything from woke, to libtard, to communist! But we will not give up! We CAN NOT give up! For this is God’s world, and this is God’s work.  And the last, the least, and the lost need us. They are people we need to come alongside of, and with whom we can work to transform all creation.

My entire family has had a tough week, and in our family group text one of my kids sent us all a song titled Mountain of Madness, by City and Colour; and like so many of songs of lament, the chorus cries out to us with these angst-filled words:

Many of us where in such a place last week. But my response? The words Jack Johnson!

Today, this is our good news. We are better when we’re together! And if you really stop and think about it, perhaps that sentiment may be just enough to see us through these challenging days! We are not alone; and together, we are even now being strengthened to get back to that often frustrating work of caring for the last, showing compassion to the least, and being concerned for the lost! For one last time, this is God’s world, and this is God’s work. And no one, not even the likes of a godless president, is going to keep God from doing what God is going to do! Together, all of us can become like Jesus, a . . .

May this be our goal, even today!