Reflections on the Morning After Epiphany 2021

When I think about what I saw on television yesterday, I was brought to tears, nauseated and completely stunned. What I saw was a raw display of fury, rebellion and sedition. I saw the United States Capitol Building defaced. I saw the cross and the Confederate flag standing together in procession. I saw a screaming mob. Encouraged by our leaders to commit acts of violence, this mob followed their leaders to the brink. The United States Capitol is now a crime scene.

Forgive us, Lord, for defacing our common heritage.

People who broke the law should be prosecuted and held accountable. The mob attack of the United States Capitol Building was unconscionable. But not only should the violence be condemned, the language used to incite the violence should be condemned as well. It is dreadful that few, if any, of those who used their words to encourage this violence have not expressed any regret or remorse for using language that incited these lawbreakers. They, too, should be held accountable.

Forgive us, Lord, for tolerating a system that promotes violence against our fellow citizens.

Words matter and we should not tolerate any form of discourse that encourages violence against our fellow citizens. If we believe that all of humanity is “created equal” and made in the image of God, such beliefs must change the way we speak about one another. To tolerate dehumanizing rhetoric or public policies that put down one group of people as a way of protecting another group of people is contrary to all that we hold to be self-evidently true.

Forgive us, Lord, for failing to honor one another across the boundaries of race, class and political affiliation.

The challenge before us is immense. We have been steeped in a political discourse shaped by lies for so long; we as a nation live in two distinctly different realities. The challenge is not merely to get along, but to discover again the common truths that define our common life.

Forgive us, Lord, for our lack of curiosity, our susceptibility to lies that reinforce our prejudices, and an unwillingness to listen carefully to those with whom we disagree. 

God has given us tools for reconciliation, forgiveness, justice and mercy. We believe that in Jesus, God has given humanity the capacity to know truth. Let us pray together that God would have mercy on us, open our eyes to know the truth, and find ways to serve together and be a people of reconciliation, salt and light. Amen.