Staying Grounded
Given the tremendous outpouring of news this week, beginning with TikTok and the Presidential inauguration and continuing through executive orders and new wildfires, I have been feeling overwhelmed. I’m working to take it all in a little bit at a time, to stay open and stay grounded. What that means, though, is that I only heard about Episcopal Bishop Marianne Budde’s Inauguration sermon at the National Cathedral when Rabbi Claudia Kreiman of Temple Beth Zion in Brookline quoted her during an opening prayer for a GBIO event.
If like me you haven’t listened to or read Bishop Budde’s sermon yet, I encourage you to do so. Much of it was directed towards the President specifically, but she speaks about how the fundamentals of the Christian faith call on not just leadership in this country but all of us to take on an attitude of humility and mercy.
“There are gay, lesbian and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives. The people who pick our crops and clean our office buildings; who labor in poultry farms and meat packing plants; who wash the dishes after we eat in restaurants and work the night shifts in hospitals. They may not be citizens or have the proper documentation. But the vast majority of immigrants are not criminals. They pay taxes and are good neighbors. They are faithful members of our churches and mosques, synagogues, gurudwaras and temples…
Our God teaches us that we are to be merciful to the stranger, for we were all once strangers in this land. May God grant us the strength and courage to honor the dignity of every human being, to speak the truth to one another in love and walk humbly with each other and our God for the good of all people.”
This is my prayer this week, as well.
Peace
Pastor Megan
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