Keeping the Faith

As I was trying to shut out the politics swarming like flies around last week’s inauguration, I found myself surprisingly immersed in and comforted by religion.

First came the sermon heard around the world … and then came this reckoning on how religion is losing its faithful.

As the President and Vice President shifted in their pews at Washington National Cathedral, their faces showing displeasure if not discomfort, Episcopal Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde delivered truth to power from the Canterbury Pulpit. 

“Let me make one final plea, Mister President. Millions have put their trust in you. In the name of our God, I ask you to have mercy on the people in our country who are scared now. There are gay, lesbian, and transgender children in Democratic, Republican, and Independent families, some who fear for their lives.

 

“And The people … 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 who 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 churches and mosques, synagogues, and temples.

“I ask you to have mercy, Mr President, on those in our communities who have fear ... . And that you help those who are fleeing war zones and persecution in their own lands to find compassion and welcome here. 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, people in this nation and the world.”

And though Budde’s words may have fallen on deaf ears for many gathered in attendance, her message was well received by many of the “formerly faithful, even those of us who misspent some of that time rolling Matchbox cars across the pew or pinching our sisters.  

This was the Christianity of my youth. The tenets of a loving creator who urges us to treat our neighbor as ourselves, to welcome those who may be strangers, and to care for the poor. Her sermon may have been directed to one man, but it was as familiar and comforting to me as the parable of the Good Samaritan.  

So often as religion becomes televised for public consumption and photo opportunities, I fear the scalding of fire and brimstone or the fleecing of the flocks. So many, it seemed, were lured from the message of love to the promise of prosperity gospels. As the ratings went up, we watched in horror as pastors traveled by private jet and swept their abuses under the tarmac.

These days it seems that the Church of What’s Happening Now really hopes the meek won’t inherit anything, let alone the Earth, as if only those with clout are worthy.

Budde's words rang not only with truth but also hope and faith that we can still foster better intentions. And they reminded me that while some of us have let go of our religions, we continue to keep the faith.