Sunday, November 20, 2016

“Standing around”

A post-presidential election sermon for Christ the King Sunday based on Colossians 1:11-20 and Luke 23:33-43, preached at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, Chicago, on November 20, 2016.

Window at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church, in Chicago. mig

by Magdalena I. García


It’s been almost two weeks since the presidential election, and reactions continue to pour in on a daily basis. There is, of course, a ton of political analysis and election data. There are also plenty of cartoons and memes. And then there are surprising personal and  communal responses.

Here is one reaction from an unlikely place: the fashion world. And I quote from an ABC news report:[i]

One French fashion designer is refusing to design for Melania Trump when she becomes first lady. Sophie Theallet, who has designed for first lady Michelle Obama for the past eight years, said in an open letter Thursday that she cannot work for [Trump's] wife due to what she called “the rhetoric of racism, sexism and xenophobia unleashed by her husband's presidential campaign.”

“As an independent fashion brand, we consider our voice an expression of our artistic and philosophical ideas,” the letter began. “The Sophie Theallet brand stands against all discrimination and prejudice.” Theallet wrote that although she know it
's “not wise to get involved in politics,” her family-owned company is not just about money.“We value our artistic freedom and always humbly seek to contribute to a more humane, conscious and ethical way to create in this world,” she wrote.

The New York-based fashion designer added that as an immigrant to the U.S., “who celebrates and strives for diversity, individual freedom, and respect, for all lifestyles, I will not participate in dressing or associating in any way with the next First Lady.”

“The rhetoric of racism, sexism and xenophobia unleashed by her husband's presidential campaign are incompatible with the shared values we live by. I encourage my fellow designers to do the same,” she said. Theallet concluded her note by writing, “Integrity is our only true currency.”


Frankly, I could care less about fashion. But what I find admirable and striking about this statement is the bold and courageous stance of a supposedly secular entity against the manifestation of evil in contemporary society.

A SECOND EXAMPLE of a striking, post-presidential election response comes from “Hamilton.” On Friday night, Mike Pence attended the Broadway musical in New York. After the performance, the actor Brandon Victor Dixon, who played Vice President Aaron Burr, delivered a message to the vice president-elect. Several news outlets published the incident yesterday, along with a two-minute video clip, including The New York Times[ii], National Public Radio (NPR)[iii], and The Hufftington Post.[iv] And here is the message written and delivered by the cast, creators and producers of the boundary-breaking musical:

Vice President-elect Pence, we welcome you,
and we truly thank you for joining us here
at “Hamilton: An American Musical,” we really do.
We, sir, we are the diverse America,
who are alarmed and anxious that your new administration
will not protect us, our planet, our children, our parents
or defend us and uphold our inalienable rights, sir.
But we truly hope that this show has inspired you
to uphold our American values
and to work on behalf of all of us.
All of us.
Again, we truly thank you for sharing this show,
this wonderful American story told
by a diverse group of men and women,
of different colors, creeds and orientations.


AND WHAT ABOUT US? What is our response to the presidential election season with its multiple verbal attacks and threats? What is our response to the offensive rhetoric employed by the President elect against women, immigrants, Mexicans, Muslims, people with disabilities, and even veterans and military personnel?

Two weeks before the election, The New York Times published an article titled: “The 282 People, Places and Things Donald Trump Has Insulted on Twitter: A Complete List.”[v] You’d think that alone—in addition to all the pending lawsuits[vi]—would have been enough to end his presidential aspirations, or to improve voter turnout.

And yet, according to a recent CNN report,[vii] “Voter turnout this year dipped to nearly its lowest point in two decades. While election officials are still tabulating ballots, the 126 million votes already counted means about 55% of voting age citizens cast ballots this year. That measure of turnout is the lowest in a presidential election since 1996, when 53.5% of voting-age citizens turned out.”

WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE to the new wave of hate crimes that this inflammatory rhetoric has unleashed, including hate crimes against places of worship? I have ministry colleagues across the country who have reported increased bullying against Hispanic/Latino children and youth, vandalism of places of worship, and threatening notes against LGBTQI peoples. And major media outlets like NPR[viii] and The New York Times, tell us that “hundreds of incidents of harassment and intimidation have been reported across the country since Election Day.”[ix]

Clearly, rallies and protests are a response. Boycotts and direct engagement are also a response. Lamenting and praying are yet another response. These are all legitimate and necessary responses. Unfortunately, denial and apathy also seem to be a frequent response.

WHAT IS OUR RESPONSE AS A CHURCH? I read a wonderful statement issued by the Stated Clerk of our denomination[x] and one written by the President of McCormick Theological Seminary[xi], my alma mater. But on a local level, what is our response as members, as congregations and as a presbytery? Are denial and apathy our response. Is silence—and therefore complicity—our response? You know, sadly, it’s all happened before...

IN OUR GOSPEL READING THIS MORNING, taken from Luke 23, we revisit the scene from the crucifixion of Jesus. It seems strange to have this reading on the Sunday right before Thanksgiving, but there is a reason for that. Today is Christ the King Sunday, the last Sunday of the liturgical year, which ends by affirming the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Next Sunday we enter Advent, the season that begins the church year, and which anticipates the birth—and the Lordship—of Jesus Christ. Thus, the Christian year is framed by these two markers: we begin and end the year in the same way, proclaiming Jesus Christ as King and Lord of our lives and of the world.

And yet, at the crucifixion, that is not what the crowd was doing or saying. At the crucifixion, not only were most of the disciples missing in action, with the exception of the women, but they were silent. Luke 23:35 paints the scene for us: “And the people stood by, watching...” (NRSV)

And the people stood by, stood around watching... At the feet of the cross, there was silence... deafening silence... agonizing silence... Like the silence we hear loud and clear when the church doesn’t speak up for justice, or doesn’t stand up for justice.

Here are some of my favorite quotes on silence:

“Silence in the face of evil is itself evil:
God will not hold us guiltless.
Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.”

~ Dietrich Bonhoeffer

“In the End, we will remember not the words of our enemies,
but the silence of our friends.”

~ Martin Luther King, Jr.

And lest we think that silence is an attempt at neutrality —and perhaps fairness—, let’s allow the voice of another great human being and thinker, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize winner, Elie Wiesel, remind us that silence is not neutrality:

“We must take sides.
Neutrality helps the oppressor,
never the victim.
Silence encourages the tormentor,
never the tormented.”

~ Elie Wiesel

Yes, silence is a possible, even tempting response, but it is NOT the Christian response. In fact, silence was not God’s response to evil and death. The end of the Gospel story is not the cross, but Easter morning. The resurrection is God’s eloquent response to the silence of the crucifixion.

And, therefore, we must NOT allow silence to have the last word. Now is the time for Christians and people of all faiths to come together, to speak up, and to act in God’s name against all forms of evil and hatred, guided by the primary teaching of all major religions: the Golden Rule. Do you remember it?

There is a cartoon on the internet that shows a king standing on the balcony of his castle, overlooking his subjects gathered down below. The king raises his hand in the air, in a sign of authority, and says: “Remember the Golden Rule!” One of the subjects below asks: “What’s that?” And another quickly replies: “Whoever has the gold makes the rules!” It’s a great tongue-in-cheek kind of joke, but that is not an accurate response. Here is the Golden Rule:

“In everything do to others
as you would have them do to you;
for this is the law and the prophets.”

 ~ Matthew 7:12

HOW CAN YOU RESPOND AS A CONGREGATION? The good news is that you are already responding, loudly and eloquently, by welcoming new neighbors in your midst. In addition to all the wonderful mission projects that you support, sharing your life, space and resources with the Spirit of Love Community Ministry, led by Rev. Julio Peña, is unique and prophetic. Not many congregations in our city dare offer this kind of response or welcome. You should let your community know what is happening here, because in a city as segregated as Chicago this is indeed good news, and a faithful response to the Gospel. So I urge you to continue on this journey of embracing each other. There are lots of resources available  to help you strengthen your life together as partners in ministry. As a Zen proverb wisely says: “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”

I would like to close with a litany of confession I wrote this week, and which was published by the Presbyterians Today magazine blog[xii] (although I later added the last stanza). And I would like to invite you to join me in responding, by reading the parts in bold letters.

“Twiddling our thumbs”
A resource for Sunday’s liturgy based on Luke 23:33-43

The people were standing around watching, but the leaders sneered at him, saying, ‘He saved others. Let him save himself if he really is the Christ sent from God, the chosen one.’ – Luke 23:35

Children are hungry
because wages are low or stagnant
while the cost of living continues to rise
and the poor struggle to put food on the table.
           But those of us who are satisfied
            stand around watching,
            judging the victims and blaming God
            while twiddling our thumbs.
                        God of the hungry,
                        free us from the prison of abundance,
                        and give us courage to work for the release
                        of those who are crucified by excesses.


Men and women are unemployed
because workers are displaced
by plant closures, new technologies,
and trade agreements that produce imbalances.
            But those of us who are employed
            stand around watching,
            judging the victims and blaming God
            while twiddling our thumbs.
                        God of the unemployed,
                        free us from the prison of safety,
                        and give us courage to work for the release
                        of those who are crucified by progress.


Migrants cross borders
because local economies have been destroyed
by big retailers, subsidized farming and mounting debt,
and small farmers are pushed off the land.
            But those of us who are dwellers
            stand around watching,
            judging the victims and blaming God
            while twiddling our thumbs.
                        God of the migrants,
                        free us from the prison of ignorance,
                        and give us courage to work for the release
                        of those who are crucified by greed.


Families are separated
because immigration laws are unjust
and those hired to work in the shadows
are criminalized, detained and deported.
            But those of us who are safe
            stand around watching,
            judging the victims and blaming God
            while twiddling our thumbs.
                        God of the separated,
                        free us from the prison of cruelty,
                        and give us courage to work for the release
                        of those who are crucified by apathy.


People are afraid
because evil triumphed at the ballot box,
and hate speech and attacks are now rampant,
emboldened by xenophobia, sexism, and homophobia.
            But those of us who are privileged
            stand around watching,
            judging the victims and blaming God
            while twiddling our thumbs.
                        God of the frightened,
                        free us from the prison of bigotry,
                        and give us courage to work for the release
                        of those who are crucified by complicity.


May our lives proclaim that the God of the Living rules.
May the Spirit of Truth convert all the rich fools.
May the Christ of the Cross in our daily walk be reflected.
May we share paradise with the forgotten and the neglected.

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[i] http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/fashion-designer-sophie-theallet-pens-open-letter-refusing/story?id=43639234&cid=abcn_fb
[ii] http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/19/us/mike-pence-hamilton.html?_r=0
[iii] http://www.npr.org/2016/11/19/502687591/hamilton-to-pence-we-are-the-diverse-america-who-are-alarmed
[iv] http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hamilton-cast-speech-mike-pence_us_582fccd7e4b058ce7aab4c6f
[v] http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2016/01/28/upshot/donald-trump-twitter-insults.html
[vi] http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2016/10/25/pending-lawsuits-donald-trump-presidency/92666382/
[vii] http://www.cnn.com/2016/11/11/politics/popular-vote-turnout-2016/index.html
[viii] http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2016/11/14/502013652/hundreds-of-hateful-incidents-reported-in-wake-of-trumps-victory
[ix] http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/18/opinion/a-wave-of-harassment-after-trumps-victory.html?smid=fb-share
[x] http://www.pcusa.org/news/2016/11/16/when-incivility-becomes-norm/
[xi] http://mccormick.edu/news/mccormicks-response-election
[xii] http://www.presbyterianmission.org/today/2016/11/18/justleros-nonsense-mas-que-disparates-7/

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